A new grave with dozens of Ukrainians has been found in Buzova, a village near the capital Kyiv, as residents in the east of the country are urged to flee a new Russian offensive.
Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community that includes Buzova and several other nearby villages, told Ukrainian television that the bodies were found in a ditch near a petrol station.
“Now, we are returning to life, but during the occupation we had our ‘hotspots’, many civilians died,” Didych said.
The number of bodies found in the grave in Buzova, which for weeks was occupied by Russian forces, was yet to be confirmed. The report was not able to be immediately verified with local officials.
The corpses found in the graves appeared to be dressed in a mix of civilian and military clothing.
One devastated woman was seen peering down into the manhole before breaking down. As she clawed at the earth she wailed” “my son, my son”.
As Russian forces were engaged in an offensive against Kyiv in the first weeks of Moscow’s invasion, a number of communities surrounding the capital, including Makariv, Bucha, Irpin and Dmytrivka remained under constant fire.
In early April local media reported casualties found in and near Buzova, with about 30 bodies found at the time.
With most of the towns and villages around Kyiv now seized back, discoveries of mass graves and civilian casualties have triggered a wave of international condemnation, in particular over deaths in the town of Bucha, northwest of the capital.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that while the threat to Kyiv had receded, Ukraine was preparing for a tough battle with Russian forces amassing in the east of the country.
Ukrainian officials have called on people in the east of the country to flee, as an eight-mile long Russian convoy was spotted making its way towards the country. The renewed ambush marks a new phase in the conflict.
Images from space showed the mass of military vehicles and artillery travelling in the direction of the eastern part of the war-torn country.
Maxar technologies took the satellite images which showed the heavy military build-up as it made its way through Velykyi Burluk.
After fierce resistance from Ukraine, Russian forces withdrew from around Kyiv last week and are believed to be regrouping for a new Donbas offensive.
Yesterday it was revealed Russia is trying to expand its depleted army with retired old soldiers, having suffered almost 20,000 deaths.